General Electric Company

Theodore T Thomas, Jr

Ching-Pang Lee

Anne M Isburgh

Harold P Rieck, Jr

Delmer H Landis, Jr

Charles J Haap

A jet engine component includes a body having a wall portion with an external surface exposed to hot gas flow and an internal surface exposed to a cooling air flow. The engine component incorporates an arrangement of cooling holes defined through the wall portion between the external and internal surfaces thereof to permit flow of cooling air from the hollow interior through the wall portion to the exterior of the component. Each cooling hole includes at least one flow inlet at the internal surface of the wall for receiving the cooling air flow, at least a pair of flow outlets at the external surface of the wall for discharging the cooling air flow, and at least a pair of flow branches extending through the wall portion and between the flow inlet and the flow outlets for permitting passage of the cooling air flow from the flow inlet to the flow outlets. In one V-shaped configuration, the flow branches merge and intersect with one another at the flow inlet. In another X-shaped configuration, there are a pair of flow inlets and the flow branches merge and intersect with one another at a location intermediate between and spaced from the flow inlets and outlets. The flow outlets are displaced preferably downstream of the flow inlet relative to the direction of gas flow past the external surface of the wall of the engine component.

Cooling hole arrangements in jet engine components exposed to hot gas

An aerodynamically efficient flow transfer device having a means to transfer flow from a static element to a rotor element such that the end of the exit flow is substantially parallel to an exit plane that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor and substantially tangential to the operational rotational direction of the rotor. The preferred embodiment provides a cooling air flow transfer apparatus, between a stationary compressor and turbine rotor, having an inducer which includes cooling air flow holes or passages that are acutely angled in a tangential manner to the rotational direction of the rotor. The passages include a cylindrical section leading to a downstream flared outlet in the form of an open channel that has a back wall with a portion that curves to be parallel to the exit plane of the inducer at the channel's end.

Stator to rotor flow inducer

A rotor blade such as a turbine rotor blade for a jet engine. The airfoil blade portion of the rotor blade has a plurality of longitudinally extending coolant passageways preferably interconnected to define a serpentine coolant circuit. Passageways channeling coolant from the blade root to the blade tip are positioned in a first row proximate the pressure side of the airfoil blade while passageways channeling coolant from the blade tip to the blade root are positioned in a second row adjacent the first row and proximate the suction side of the airfoil blade to take advantage of the Coriolis force acting on the coolant in the passageways of the rotating blade to improve overall heat transfer effectiveness.

Rotation enhanced rotor blade cooling using a double row of coolant

A rotor blade such as a turbine rotor blade for a jet engine. The airfoil blade portion of the rotor blade has a plurality of longitudinally extending coolant passageways preferably interconnected to define a serpentine coolant circuit. Each passageway has a wedge shape including a base and an opposing tapered tip. For passageways channeling coolant from the blade root to the blade tip, the bases are positioned proximate the pressure side of the airfoil blade and the tapered tip is positioned proximate the suction side of the airfoil blade to take advantage of the Coriolis force acting on the coolant in the passageway of the rotating blade to improve overall heat transfer effectiveness.

Rotation enhanced rotor blade cooling using a single row of coolant

An improved floating seal is provided to minimize leakage around the ends of a variable area turbine stator nozzle for use in cooperation with a circumscribing shroud. The seal is contoured to float within a pocket formed in the end of the nozzle vane which extends to the vane trailing edge. The forward end of the seal is forced into engagement with the shroud by the pressure of cooling air from within the vane. A seal surface attached to the trailing edge of the seal and projecting laterally of the vane utilizes the differential pressure across the vane airfoil surfaces to hold the trailing edge of the seal into engagement with the shroud. The improved floating seal reduces vane end leakage experienced by prior art floating seals.

Growing community of inventors

Loveland, OH, United States of America

Theodore T Thomas, Jr